Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part two, with part one having appeared in Saturday’s Tribune.
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OROFINO — Crews from A&R Construction, of Lewiston, are making good progress on the repair of the wooden decking on the Lenore Bridge, according to Roy Hill, Nez Perce County Road and Bridge Supervisor.
The crews are now putting on the steel running plates and then there will be project clean up. Idaho Transportation Department will need to approve the repairs. Hill said they hope to open the bridge ahead of schedule the end of this week or the beginning of next. The original time estimate was six weeks. Monday marks the beginning of the fourth week of the project.
Though the deck will be repaired, the weight limits will continue because of the condition of the substructure. People who need to get loads over the weight limit to the Lenore area need to take alternate routes. Hill and the Nez Perce County Commissioners hope the substructure can hold up until the construction of a new bridge is completed. The only other option is to close the bridge until a new one is built.
Tuesday, Nez Perce County will be submitting the application for a grant to pay for the design of a new bridge. The application is ready to go. This is the first step of the process to replace the old bridge with a new structure. The whole process could take up to 10 years, Hill said.
— Nancy C. Butler, Clearwater Tribune (Orofino), Wednesday
MVSD board says ‘yes’ to levy; district will run two-year, $2.9 million levy in May
GRANGEVILLE — “This levy is not going to fail,” Mountain View School District 244 trustee Jon Menough, of Elk City, stated at the March 11 special board meeting. “It’s up to us to make sure it doesn’t.”
Menough made the motion to hold a two-year, $2.936 million levy, which was seconded by vice-chair Larry Dunn, White Bird. The motion passed unanimously with chair Tyler Harrington, Grangeville, trustee Laci Myers, Kooskia, and trustee B Edwards, Grangeville, and Menough and Dunn all voting yes. This levy amount was reduced $200,000 from each year’s levy by utilizing the school facilities funds that the state provided in August 2023.
The decision came on the heels of four special budget workshops that took a deep dive into the district’s finances. Wording on the ballot — what the levy will pay for and the district’s list of potential cuts if the levy does not pass — is still being considered but must be to the county by March 22 in preparation for the May 21 election. The next school board meeting is set for Thursday, March 21, 5 p.m., at the district office in Grangeville.
The March 11 meeting brought nearly 100 people to the Grangeville High School library, many of whom carried 8-1/2 by 11 signs stating, “No More Cuts.” Nineteen patrons spoke during the public session at the beginning of the meeting.
Following the vote to hold the levy, the board revisited a listing of potential cuts with many opinions offered by trustees and some comments from the gallery, though the public session had ended.
“Look, no matter what way we look at it,” chair Tyler Harrington said, taking control of the meeting, “Any of these cuts will be devastating to the district if the levy does not pass.”
— Lorie Palmer, Idaho County Free Press (Grangeville), Wednesday
